Not What It Seems
by Lunaeclipse100
Summary: He tried to warn me of what I was getting myself into, he really did. But, like stupid me, I didn't listen. My independent nature was just something he had to get over. But this is Kurama I'm talking about here. He's got ways to make me cooperate. And damn it, I knew I would give in. Kurama/YoukoxOC Ratings may change.
1. Chapter 1

It was sunny today, I realized. It had been raining these past few days, but today the sun decided to show itself. I breathed in the clear air, smiling. It was a beautiful, sunny day, but I much preferred the rain. It sound of rain eased any worries I had. I was walking to school dressed in the usual pink school uniform. I was going to start my first day at Meidou High school, a school for those who were very smart and gifted. In the past, I Didn't see why my parents had always had that dream of me going to a private school.

After their deaths, I made it completely necessary to study hard so I could attend this school. It was their dream and I planned on making it a reality. Now, here I was in the prestigious Meidou High Private Academy.

If I had to describe my parents, I would describe them as an average couple. My mother was Japanese while my father, American. I took after my father in the looks department though. I had a brunette head full of hair that reached my waist. My bangs were short and fanned out to the side so I was able to see. I had bright sapphire eyes, the color of my birthstone. My mother had the usual Japanese look; black long hair with brown eyes.

I came to the gate of the so called school. Boy was it huge. I glanced all around the entrance at the various students and sighed when I caught a few boys looking my way. I sighed. Americans were strange to the eyes of the Japanese. I was prepared for the looks I would get. But, still, it would take some getting used to. I began walking toward the building intent on getting away from the crowd.

"Shuichi-kun!" I cringed at the shrill of the girl's voice. It was probably because she was right behind me, a little too close. I turned around to glare at the bothersome girl and found a huge crowd of girls swarming a helpless redhead. Said redhead was calmly saying hello and goodbyes. Try as he might the woman was firm and sadly did not give up that easy. As I focused on the redhead, I didn't notice the figure walking toward me until it ran right into me, knocking me off my feet. I couldn't have caught myself even if I tried. My form was smaller than the average girl. My size was a 0. This was something I could not help. It didn't help the fact that this guy was bigger than I was. He was a little on the lean muscular size too. He leaned down and held a hand out the help me.

The boy started apologizing. "I'm so sorry miss!" He said a little bit too loud, drawing attention to the both of us. I took his outstretched hand, and brushed off my shirt. I felt a little embarrassed from the attention and that I didn't see him, so I was blushing. I glanced at him and noticed he was fair-haired and also had shining blue eyes, though they were darker than my own.

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" I didn't mean to laugh at his question, I really didn't, but it was slightly funny; of course you wouldn't hurt me from smacking right into little old me.

"Umm, miss?" the boy was nervous, from what I wasn't sure. I smiled at him friendly.

"No, I'm fine. I laughed because it's kinda funny. My first day here and I run into someone, literally."

"Oh, you're the new student everyone was talking about! I'm Aido Rogers; it's nice to meet you." News traveled fast apparently.

I smiled in return. "My name is Tsuyumi. But you can call me Yumi."

"Umm," he was glancing all around and fidgeting. I looked around finally noticing everyone staring at us. The girl population was staring at Aido. The redhead - Shuichi- was staring intently at me. It was kinda creepy. I stared at him back in challenge. My biggest pet peeve was people staring at me. Call me paranoid, but it was something I despised.

He only smiled in amusement, before he calmly made his way to the building, using this time as a means to get away from the squabbling girls.

"Could you please show me to the main office?" I questioned Aido. He really looked like a nice boy, so I knew I could trust him. He had this friendly aura to him.

"Sure! It's the least I could do for knocking you over." He smiled a big grin. I couldn't help it. His cheerfulness was contagious.

Aido and I swiftly made it through the crowd of eerily silent girls and toward the office. I didn't have to turn around to know everyone's attention was still focused on us. I felt it.

It was awkwardly quiet so I decided to start some form of conversation.

"You said your last name was Rogers, is that American?" I questioned. Inside I felt happy knowing I met someone like me. Maybe he was half?

He looked at me and smiled. "Yep, dad lives here now and mom's back home. They're divorced." He answered. "I was raised in Connecticut until I was 13 and then I decided to move in with good old dad. I'm still getting used to these weird Japanese customs."

I laughed at his sheepish expression. "I gathered that from how you introduced yourself and your looks." Japanese people were the exact opposite. People typically introduced themselves with their first names last.

"Oh you noticed that huh?" He laughed. He sure loved to laugh a lot didn't he?

"Of course."

As we stepped in front of a door he turned to me with his trademark smile. "Well, this is it," He said, fingering a strand of blonde hair that got in his face. "I hope you get some of my classes. I may not look like it, but I'm _really_ smart; 3rd in the whole school."

Now that he mentioned it, he didn't really look like the studious type. His pinkish uniform top was unbuttoned and a white V-neck shirt was seen.

"I know what you're thinking. 'How do you get away with your uniform dressed like that?' Well, the teachers just got tired of it after a while. Everybody else doesn't care." He shrugged his shoulders, clearly unbothered by his appearance.

"Who's 2nd and 1st in the school?" I asked, curious.

He sighed and pulled his hands into his pockets. "Shuichi Minamino will _always_ be 'top dog' in this school. Kaito Yu ain't got a chance and I'll be there the day he realizes it too. It'll be so funny."

"…top dog?" I repeated, confused. '_The red head..?'_ No, there might have been more than one Shuichi in the school, so I dismissed that thought.

He looked exasperated at my dimwittedness. "Minamino-san is always the highest on grades. Kaito always tries to outsmart him, but it ain't happening."

"Oh."

He smiled and patted my head. I was slightly perplexed by this society's lack of personal space.

"You better go on in there. Class is about to start and I don't want to be late." He waved goodbye and made his way down the hall, leaving me to enter the office.

I walked toward the counter and simply stood there, waiting for someone to acknowledge my presence, which wasn't long.

"Oh! May I please help you, sweetie?" She kindly smiled at me. She was a slightly older woman. Ordinary looking Japanese woman she was.

"I'm new here. I was told to visit the office to acquire my schedule. My name is Tsuyumi Adomas." I rocked back and forth on my feet. It was nervous habit of mine.

"Oh yes!" She began typing away on her little computer; when she was done, a printer besides her starting printing. My schedule I presumed.

"Here, darling," She said.

"Thank you," I said, bowing slightly so show my gratitude.

I had Honors Algebra II first it seemed, in room 110A.

Finding the room was easy enough. Walking in, and facing a bunch of strangers, was not. I silently hoped Aido was in this classroom. At least I would know someone. I looked at my watch and noticed that class had not even started yet, and I was slightly relieved. I walked into the room, intending on keeping a low profile. I didn't want anyone to notice me yet.

"Yumi!" was the loudest voice heard in the entire classroom. I knew immediately who it was and while I thanked god that he was in here, I was silently strangling him for being so freakishly loud and drawing _everyone's_ attention to me.

I walked over to him when he motioned me with a wave of his hand, and just stood there.

"I'm glad you're in this class!" He said enthusiastically.

"Me too." I softly said, aware everyone was staring at me. Aido had yet to notice.

When he did, he smiled again and put an arm around my shoulders. I think he tried to comfort me. It didn't, in fact, I just noticed he was heavy. "Everyone is just unused to seeing an unusually cute looking girl. Give them time and you'll be just another student."

"How long did it take them to warm up to your blonde hair?"

"…..a couple of weeks. But!" he hastily continued when I groaned, "you aren't as different as I was when I moved here. It'll take a couple of days."

"Great." I simply said I moved myself out of from under him to sit in the desk in front of him.

He sat behind me and leaned forward. "You sure you wanna sit there?"

"Yes, why? Is there something wrong with this seat?" I answered, my face focused on the board in front. I was glad my mom started teaching me Japanese at such a young age. It was like reading in English for me.

"Minamino sits in the desk next to you." He simply said as if that was the most dangerous thing in the world.

Frankly I didn't care.

"And?"

I didn't see his expression, but I heard him laugh and whisper about me being strange. He leaned back and his attention was focused elsewhere.

Minamino. I wonder if it was in fact the boy I saw this morning. If it was, I made a promise to ignore him. I wasn't kidding when I said I hated it when people stared at me. I huffed when I became annoyed with him appearing in my thoughts. To distract myself, I looked out the window and became preoccupied with the pretty blue in the sky. How beautiful….

"Excuse me?"

I jerked in surprise at the sudden noise near me and looked to my right. Minamino had a non-apologetic smile on his face. It seemed he didn't care if he interrupted me from my thoughts. Well, he made it seem like he was sorry, but he couldn't fool me. I was great at reading people.

"Yes?" I didn't try to hide my displeasure in my tone. This seemed to make his smile brighter.

"You're the new student I presume? I'm Shuichi Minamino; it's a pleasure to meet you." He politely introduced himself and this time it seemed to really be true.

What was with this guy? He went from annoying me on purpose and then polite again.

"Likewise." I gave him a small, forced smile, just to be friendly. I think he noticed, because his lips twitched as if fighting a smile, and then turned to his desk to listen to the teacher as she entered the room.

I'm not sure if this could be categorized as a good day or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally! I'm done with Chapter 2! I would have been done sooner, but I've been going through family troubles. So here it is! Hope you like it.

Not What It Seems Chapter 2.

The rest of class time was spent listening to the teacher's lecture. It was boring so I decided to watch the cars and people pass by on the sidewalk from the window of the classroom. Every so often I would find myself turning my head to the right, sensing someone's gaze on me, but caught myself. I was not going to look into his direction. His strange behavior was foreign to me and it kind of freaked me out. I knew for a fact he was staring at me. I could just feel it. The goose bumps on my skin were a dead giveaway.

The bell rang, signaling class change and I was all too eager to scamper out the door.

"Whoa girl, slow down! You look like your behind was on fire." It was Aido. I was so small compared to him it must have been easy to grab a hold of me before I got away.

He let go of my arm and gave me a knowing smile. "I guess I don't need to ask why the hasty retreat was for huh?"

"Hm." I shrugged. So he must have noticed too. Well, that was comforting. He laughed and leaning against the wall. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Shuichi slowly walk out the door. The way he walked just screamed confidence and authority. It was intimidating. He stopped long enough to glance at Aido and me and continued to path to his next class. Once he was gone Aido resumed talking.

"You should have seen him. He was staring you down like you were food or something. I would have been creeped out too. It looked like he was going to jump you." He looked uncomfortable, as if he was actually imagining it.

"I know, I _felt _it." I shuddered. Aido gave me a small smile and kicked off the wall.

"Well, looks like we only have 2 classes together. I got to go, see ya!" He waved goodbye and half ran to his class. It must have been on the other side of the building. If he didn't stop to talk to me he probably would have been alright.

The rest of the day dragged on. Strangely, after Shuichi stared me down, nothing interesting happened the rest of the day. I felt slightly disappointed as I walked down the street. I was slightly confused why I felt disappointed. I mean, I'm glad I only had one class with that creeper, but he was interesting and even though he was different, I found him fascinating. I guess I can now relate to every student in the class looking at me funny. Different was fascinating.

I opened the gate to the small garden of flowers. This place was made especially for my family. It was relaxing to be here when I was little. My mother would bring me here plenty of times to play with me. It was our little place we could all get together and just be happy.

Now, however, as I looked at each and every flower and bush, the once pleasant feeling began to fade away, as well as the memories. In the back of the garden, where another area was fenced off, was where my parents were buried. My mother had always made the remark that she wished this place to be her resting place. So when she and dad died, they were buried here.

"Hey, Dad, hey mom," I began as I kneeled into the grass next to their headstone. "Today was my first day at Meidou. You were right Mom, it really is an interesting school. Dad, they got some interesting boys there. But I promise not to date until I'm 40." I giggled at the memory of my father strictly telling me I was not to touch a boy until I was 40. "You would have been proud of me. I studied like hell to get into that school. All of you." I felt my voice wavering.

"I wish you could have been here." I leaned down. The tears were coming, I knew they were. I was in shock when I first heard the news of their death, so the tears didn't come instantly. No, they came a few weeks later, when I was out buying groceries. I had realized at the time that it was just me from now on. I realized how utterly alone was. I had no siblings, no aunts, or uncles; nothing. I was only left with my mother's inheritance. Money couldn't cure my loneness.

The tears were pouring down my cheeks as I lay on the ground. I wheezed and choked as I whimpered and wailed out all the emotions that I had bottled up for so long. They should have been here. They should have been here to see me on my first day. They shouldn't have been taken away. It was too soon.

Eventually, the tears dried up, leaving my face looking red and swollen from my emotional meltdown.

"I miss you." I said, and dropped my eyes. "I'm tired. I give up. I'm just so utterly tired." I drawled and welcomed sleep.

When I opened my eyes, it was pitch dark, and I had no idea what time it was. I moved my stiff joints and rose up from my sleeping position, yawning. I gathered my things, told my parents goodbye and that I would visit them soon, and set off for my home. I forgot my cell phone, so the time I wasn't sure of. I wonder how long I was asleep. It couldn't have been too long. I am a picky sleeper, so the ground, being uncomfortable, must have been what woke me up.

I sighed. What a great way to finish of the day; falling asleep in a garden.

As I walked down the desolate street, I became slightly cold. It was as if someone was breathing down my neck. It was in the middle of the spring so I didn't bring a jacket. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to find warmth.

"What a cute little human."

I froze in place. I could have sworn the temperature dropped even lower. I shuddered at the rapid change and frantically looked around for the voice. It was distorted and…sounded inhuman.

"Ah, I can hear your heartbeat. I can smell your fear."

A force knocked into me, propelling me into the ground. As I tried to get up, I felt a weight being pressed unto my back, pushing me down. It became harder for me to breathe as the weight bore down onto me. I wheezed and panted and tried to claw my way out from under this…._thing._

"Do not think you can get away. It's futile." As soon as it was done speaking, I felt this sharp intrusion on the lower part of my back. Blinding pain was the next sensation I felt. I couldn't help but cry and scream as he pulled whatever he stabbed me with out of my back. I felt my vision giving out of me.

"Don't die on me yet now." He grabbed the back of my hair and lifted my head up, exposing my neck.

I wasn't aware of touch anymore. My mind had retreated back into my own little sanctuary in my head. It numbed the pain and feeling, so I happily welcomed it. After all my suffering, I was going to be reunited with them. _Finally. _

As the thing got in position to slice my neck, I felt at peace. _I wanted this. _

"Rose Whip!"

The weight on my back was lifted, and all at once, all my senses came back, and everything wasn't in slow motion anymore. I carefully lifted myself up until I was sitting on my knees, holding my stomach where the blade made a clean cut right through my body.

The thing growled some distance away and crouched, as if ready to spring.

"You will not touch her."

That _voice._

I quickly looked up, to confirm what I just heard. For all I knew, I could have been hallucinating from the blood lose.

He was still wearing this school uniform. He still looked the same as he did in the classroom. But his face was different. He had this cold look on his face. He looked like he was going to kill someone. That someone, or thing, that just attacked me.

Why did he save me?

The thing launched itself toward Shuichi, intent on taking off his head. But Shuichi only stood there, and with a wave of his hand, his whip lashed off the thing's head.

I could only sit there on the ground and look at him as he turned to me. He cautiously stepped toward me, as if he thought he might have scared me.

"Yumi-san." He said gently, moving to pick me up.

"Wha-What are you?"

All I remember after that was darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Not What It Seems Chapter 3

The first thing I was aware of when I opened my eyes was the familiar design of my ceiling. I carefully leaned up, looking around at the familiar walls of my room and realized that somehow, despite what had happened yesterday, I was safely tucked away in my bed. I ran my fingers over the area that should have been a bloody mess. It wasn't and it left me wondering if what happened yesterday was real or not. I slowly got out of bed. Even if it looked like I hadn't been stabbed like turkey yesterday, I was still scared that somehow the pain would still be there.

I lifted up my pajamas shirt and saw that the area was completely clear of any signs of what happened yesterday. A scar should have been there. I should have died yesterday, but Shuichi saved me. Shuichi Minamino. Our school's prince was out killing things with his….whip.

What the hell?

I walked back to my room, slightly dizzy, staggering and bewildered by this new information. As I sat on my bed, I looked at the time. It was 5:30. So if I felt well enough I could go to school today and I would sit him down and demand answers. It's not normal for a girl to be attacked in the middle of the night only to be saved by one of your classmates.

The only thing my mind was focused on all morning was how I was going to confront Minamino. Even as Aido came up to me with his usual bubbly personality, Minamino was the only thing I could focus on. I made sure to get to Algebra extra early. I wanted to talk to him before class and hopefully get some answers out of him.

To my dismay, he came in a few minutes right before the bell was supposed to ring. I made sure to stare him down as he took his seat. He looked as if he didn't kill something the other night that was intent on killing a poor defenseless girl. In fact, he didn't even glance in my direction. He just simply sat down and began getting our random notes. I couldn't really begin questioning him with so many people around, so I had to play it by the ear.

"So, _Shuichi _," I began, emphasizing his name. Shuichi turned toward me with an eyebrow raised, "How was everything last night with you? Anything interesting happen?"

He smiled this innocence smile. "Why, yes. Everything was just fine. I studied yesterday until midnight."

I glared at him. The idiot was acting as if nothing had happened last night. As if I would let him forget.

I leaned toward him. To others it would seem that I was telling him a secret, which was pretty close. We were discussing something important.

"I need to know what happened last night. As the victim, I have a right." I whispered.

Something flashed in his eyes. If I had to bet I would say it was surprise. But after a moment the surprise faded into interest.

"You remembered." He stated. Shuichi leaned toward me examining me like I was a math problem. I suddenly became aware just how close we were to each other. "I had hoped, but I never thought…" He trailed off. His gaze was very intense and it made my skin itch.

I sat there awkwardly. "Well, yeah. I mean, it just happened yesterday. Of course I would remember." I scratched the back of my head in confusion.

"Whatcha two talking bout?"

Aido's voice surprised us both. Shuichi and I jumped back in surprise. My surprise was partly because I was so focused on our conversation that Aido's voice scared me. Shuichi looked equally surprised; as if he was suppose to have noticed when Aido was approaching. He had a faint blush on his face, though from what I couldn't tell.

"Umm, we were talking about yesterday. He was surprised I remembered his name." I lied. I was never a good liar, so I was surprised it came out so smooth, as if lying was something I did daily.

"Yes, we had such a brief exchange yesterday I had thought she had forgotten my name. I'm impressed she remembered it, or even remembered anything from yesterday." His gaze held suspicion and curiosity.

"Oh well, she's really smart. Give her some credit." Everything went over this boy's head. It was slightly funny.

I just sat there staring at Shuichi, confused. He expected me to forget everything that happened yesterday, yet I could perfectly recollect every last detail. Was I not supposed to?

"Yes, I underestimated her. Interesting…" He leaned more into me with his hand sitting on his knee. From the look that was plastered on his face, I didn't know if I wanted to be interesting to this guy or not.

Shuichi's look made me nervous. I turned back to my seat and looked at the board. "Well class is about to start." I said, making it clear in my tone that this conversation was ending.

"Yes, it is." Shuichi said, _still _staring at me.

Aido awkwardly stood there, sensing that the conversation wasn't about remembering names anymore and took his seat without question and let it alone.

Once the bell rang, I flew out the door. Earlier I wanted to wait for Shuichi to come out and question him, but after that little incident, I wasn't so sure anymore. In fact, I wasn't so sure I wanted anything to do with him. What did he do to me after I fainted yesterday?

It was my second day at this school sure, but I suddenly I didn't feel like going to class. I made my way up to the roof of the school. It was the only place that was quiet. At my old school, the teachers never came up here. So I figured the same about this school. As I came to the door leading up to the roof, there was a little sign attached to it. It read 'Student not allowed beyond this point.'

Too bad I didn't care.

Uncaring about the sign, I pushed myself through the door and made my way across the roof. I sat down and pulled my knees up to my chest. I couldn't get the chilly feeling that yesterday was something I shouldn't have remembered. If I did then it would cause a lot of trouble. I was surprised I took everything with a calm reaction. Most people would go crazy if they saw a thing that looked like a mix between a horse and bull try to kill them.

"Whatever it was that tried to kill me..." I trailed off in wonderment.

"It was a demon."

I jumped at the unexpected voice. I looked up and saw Shuichi standing there with his hands in his pocket. I didn't even hear him. It's like he appeared out of thin air.

"Wha…"

"This part of the school is prohibited from students Yumi-san." He teased. "I wonder who you are running from." He said, as if he knew the answer.

"You would know!" I challenged. I couldn't help it. This guy kind of scared me. After what happened yesterday I had came to the frightening fact that he could also kill me with ease if he wanted to.

He smiled and tiled his head to the side. "I have a few questions."

This made me angry. I rose up from where I was on the ground and stood tall. Well, as tall as I could in front of someone who was way taller than me. "I was the one attacked yesterday and almost killed. Then found out Mr. Prodigy of the school ran around at night killing demons who also isn't so human himself!"

"You aren't supposed to remember." Shuichi said as if I hadn't gone off on him. He looked unfazed. He started walking closer to me. Before he took two steps I backed away from him, hitting the wall behind me. It wasn't really a wall, it came up to my waist. It was to keep people from falling off said building.

"I want answers. Do NOT come near me or else."

He smiled in amusement and after a moment stopped walking and sighed. He was too damn close. Clearly he ignored my threat since he could reach out to be and grab me by the arm. Arm's reach was too damn close.

"You were attacked by a demon…"

"So you've stated." I huffed in annoyance.

Shuichi glared at me as if telling me to shut up. I think he hated being interrupted.

"He wasn't supposed to be here actually. After I saved you, you fainted."

"Ok…" I said, taking this information in. "Why were you carrying…this whip thingy around and able to defeat it so easily? What are you, because I know no ordinary boy can do half what you did yesterday."

His lip twitched as if fighting a smile. "Rose Whip."

"Yes, that thingy."

"It is one of the many abilities I have." He shrugged as if he was informing me about the weather.

I eyes widened slightly as I pushed myself as close as I could against the wall. I wasn't sure about Shuichi anymore. As each minute ticked by, I was becoming more scared. Here, this seemingly ordinary boy was telling me that demons existed and that he was also something more.

"After you fainted…" He continued when it looked like I wouldn't say anything else, "I had someone erase your memories. It did not work." Like back in the classroom, his stare turned intense. "I still want to know why."

"What are you?" I whispered.

Shuichi's whole frame seemed to freeze as if preparing for something. His eyes became guarded as if waiting, or preparing for something. He gaze never left mine as he leaned down toward me where he was eye level.

"I am the same as what attacked you yesterday. I am a demon."

I leaned away, pushing my upper body slightly over the half wall. I braced my hands on either side of waist. I felt uncomfortable with him so close, especially now.

His gaze followed my movement. After he examined my whole body, his emerald eyes returned back to my blue ones, ready for what reaction I would give. I simply stood there, looking at him with disbelief.

What the hell did I get myself into?


	4. Chapter 4

Not What It Seems Chapter 4

I don't know how long we both stood on the top of the school. Shuichi seemed quite interested in what reaction I would give. He hadn't looked away from me at all in the few minutes we stood in silence. I didn't really know why I decided to just stand there. I guess I could blame part of it on shock. The other part, a little part of me, didn't quite believe him yet.

I moved a little to the left, trying to get myself away from him. Shuichi's eyes followed my movement, and his body tensed up even more. Maybe he thought I was going to bolt.

"Show me." I don't know where this brave streak came from, but I guess I kind of knew he wasn't going to hurt me. If he wanted to, he had plenty of opportunities to do so.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. We stood in silence for a couple more minutes. Shuichi leaned back away from me. This caused me to relax somewhat. He was still too close to me though.

He raised his hand from behind his back and held it out to me. I simply looked at it in confusion.

"If you think I'm going to touch you after all that's happened then you might be slightly dumber than everyone thinks."

He chuckled in response. "I just want you to look, Yumi-san."

I furrowed my brows in irritation when nothing happened. I leaned forward to get a closer look. I noticed there was…what was that, a seed? I looked at him for an explanation. His face was blank as he looked at me. Then, I saw a glow emitting from the seed, and it seemed the seed started turning into a beautiful rose right in front of my eyes. Shuichi still continued to look at my face.

"Does that suffice?"

I was aware my face looked comical. My mouth must have been hanging open. I leaned away from him, looking at him in a whole new way.

"You aren't human." I whispered. "How are-no- WHY are you….?" It seemed like I was incapable of talking.

He sighed, tucking the rose into his hair. I wasn't going to comment on this. I had just found out he wasn't human. This was small compared to that and the least of my worries.

"I wouldn't be explaining this if you had just forgotten like you were supposed to." He said calmly.

"About that," I scratched the back of my head, "I don't have an answer to that question because quite frankly, I don't know."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. After a few moments of him looking at me his face relaxed, as if he knew I wasn't lying. Why would I lie anyway, I'm the victim here.

"I see." Was all he said. His face had a gentle smile on it and there was warmth in his eyes. This change in demeanor surprised me and strangely I felt the air out of my lungs leave me. He looked so innocent. He actually looked human.

"I'm sorry this happened to you then. Protocol demands any human attacked by anything not of this world must have the memory erased. A friend of mine was assigned to erase any lingering memory of yesterday's events." He spoke softly. "But it did not work. Strangely, I don't want to report this to Koenma. Youko..."

"Who?" I butted in rudely. His swift change in attitude had put me off. I was tired of feeling confused and helpless.

"He is the Prince of Spirit World." He signed. He didn't look annoyed at me. In fact, it looked like he was having a mental battle with himself. His attention must be divided. "Spirit World is where souls of the living go once they leave this world."

"Oh."

Shuichi's eyes looked unfocused, as if he was lost deep in thought. Then all too quickly his full attention was once on me. He seemed to be waiting to ask me something but wasn't sure. I just stood there, patiently waiting.

"Yumi-san?" He said. There was a tone in which he said my name. Whatever it was about, it had him curious.

"Yes?" I answered.

"When I found you yesterday, you looked at peace. Why had you accepted your end so quickly?" He asked. He seemed generally worried and curious about what answer I would give.

"Well..." I started, switching my weight on each foot. "I wanted it." I simply said.

His eyes widened, and then there was an unknown rage flashing in his eyes quickly after. His face didn't change at all, but all the emotion I needed to find out was in his eyes. If I had to pinpoint anything, it seemed he was at war with himself; fighting two emotions at once. If I didn't know better, I would think he was bipolar. But something, and I didn't know what it was, was telling me that wasn't it. There was something much _more _to this Shuichi Minamino, and that would explain why he looked like he was not speaking to something in front of him, but _in _him.

I was so in thought I didn't notice he was breathing heavily. It seemed whatever emotion this thing inside him was feeling, it was hard for him to hold back. I decided to elaborate, for his benefit.

"I lost my parents two years ago." I had to fight back to sudden urge to cry. "I have been on my own for a while."

"No siblings?" His voice surprised me, causing me to look up at him. He looked the same, but his _voice. _Call me crazy but it was different. His face also held sadness, as if he was relating to the possible loss of a parent in some way.

"No, no one. I was, well, still am, alone." I said softly. "I guess when the possibility of my death being put in front of me, it made me happy to finally be united with my family. Stupid I know, but I _wanted _it so bad then. Now, I see that I was foolish. They wouldn't want that."

"No, and I'm glad I came to you just in time." He didn't sound as angry anymore, which was good.

"Shuichi?" I said, stepping closer to him, peering up at him. I knew he wouldn't hurt me; the sorrow that was held in his face gave proof to that. He looked down at me curiously, probably wondering why I was close to him and about what I was going to ask.

"Are you okay?" I asked, softly. Maybe I would help him with his internal battle thing. Take his mind off of it.

There. There it was. Something moved behind his eyes. I don't know what it was but it was something.

"Yes, just thinking." He simply said. "Thinking about what I should do with you. It's annoying that I can't come to any conclusions that satisfy me. I don't like the idea of taking you to Koenma and," He lifted his hands to my chin, lightly touching it. "I don't want you to forget. You're taking this all in so calmly."

"Why?" I whispered, entranced by his eyes. There was an intense emotion in them, but I could not identify.

"I don't know what he would do to you, and I don't want to find out. I'm breaking Spirit World law just considering this, but I cannot find it in myself to care. My demonic side must be influencing me on this." He said, amused.

"D-demonic..?" I trailed off, confused.

He lifted himself higher. I hadn't noticed he was leaning down toward me, so when he moved back to his full height it surprised me and reminded me how small I was compared to him.

"Right now, I am human." He said, motioning his hands toward himself. "But before I was human, I was a demon, a strong demon." Then he stopped. It seemed he was gathering up what to say to me. He continued after a moment. "An unfortunate event occurred and caused me to leave my demonic body and find a new body to transfer my soul into; a body that hadn't developed a soul yet. A woman that had not yet given birth was the perfect place for me. Even though I am a demon, I love that woman unconditionally."

I stood there, processing this information. He used to be a demon from god knows where but something happened that would have killed him if it was not for him escaping. So he possessed some woman's unborn baby, and then grew up with pretending to be her son.

"So what you're saying is." I paused to gather was my words. "Is that isn't your true form." I pointed to his body when I said that.

"In all honesty, no, however, this body is a part of me as much as my demonic form. In this body, I feel humanity more than in my demonic form. In my demonic form, I feel a more demonic instinct. I still have humanity, but to a lesser extreme. The same vise versa." He looked at me, as if asking if I understood what he was saying.

"You feel more human in this body, because it is, essentially, human. In your demonic body, you feel humanity, but not as much, because your demonic body is…well demonic. " I said trying to understand.

"I run on a primitive, demonic instinct in my demon form. I will forever have the dangerous demonic drive, whether I'm in this form or as Youko. It just intensifies as Youko. Being in human world had calmed that down fortunately. " He sighed. "When my mother saved me when I was younger, it struck a chord in me. Before that, I had rejected her, because of my hatred for humans. I had been a demon in just a weak human body, so I was bitter. I was quite strong as a demon, and to be reduced to nothing had hit me in my pride as a demon. But when she saved me, I realized that even though I was cold toward her, she still loved me. She gave me warmth. Warmth that was hard to find in demon world. I also realized that humans were much stronger than demons realized. It was then, after her recovery, that I strived to become strong in my human body also. I had accepted it, and I was at peace." He said all this with a far off look in his eyes, as if replaying it all again in his head.

"I had planned on leaving human world when I was strong enough to revert back to Youko….but I can't do that to her. It would break her heart. Not only that, but I find myself unwilling to be apart from her. She is my mother."

"You love her." I said, in awe at the emotions coming from his eyes and words.

"I do." He said, smiling.

"So," I said, trying to change the subject. I would start crying if I got to emotional. "You said Youko, who's that?"

He finally came back down the earth at the mention of that name. He gazed at me. I don't know what he was looking for but I wished he would stop staring.

"Youko Kurama is my real name." He said, still staring. "When I say Youko, I refer to my demonic side."

I remember him saying that his demonic side was influencing him a lot today. So that was it. Youko must be able to control the human side to some extent.

"Humans are physically weaker than demons, also physiologically. I often find myself reverting back to my more demonic behavior. I wasn't a good demon back then, you see. I've done things I am not proud of. So when I catch myself and how I've been acting, I become weary. Youko….he's complicated. I've been more on guard than usual because," His gaze became more intense as he gazed at me, "You have caught his attention."

I didn't know if this was a good thing or bad.

Uh-oh! Yumi you have caught Youko's eye! Be on guard, who knows what that sly fox will do.

–Foreshadowing- :3


	5. Chapter 5

Here is chapter 5 for NWIS. If it seems like Kurama is moving too fast, then he is. In my world, I feel that demons don't feel the same as humans do. They feel a more intense feeling. Something a human wouldn't understand. They tend to stay away from emotions such as love or any of the positive emotions because of how much it can influence them; one of the reasons why you see demons acting so cruel, a lot crueler than humans. They are more comfortable with that emotion because they are in control. When it comes to other foreign emotions, they act more on guard, because they are in unfamiliar territory. That's why you see Kurama hesitating more than Youko is. To me, Kurama, the one we see often in the show, is more likely to side with more human customs, while Youko, being the demon that he is, is more likely to go the more demonic way. They are still the same person, but influenced differently in each body. Youko is feeling an attraction toward Yumi, so he is more willing to seek out the reason why. Remember, he is a fox, and they are known for their curiosity, and also coupled with the fact that he feels more than his human personality. Plus he's a strong demon. He isn't worried about losing himself. He thinks he can use this new found emotion to his advantage. Kurama wasn't going to tell Yumi anything but the insistence on his more demonic youko part drew the truth out. ANYWAY, I hope that clears things up. It's one of the reasons why Kurama will be second guessing himself a lot. He's a confused little fox, and Kurama is NEVER confused, and Yumi? Well, Yumi will just be Yumi. OKAY, on with the story.

Not What It Seems Ch.5

As we stood on that building, I wondered if the school bell had ringed any. It seemed that we had been out here for a while. All I could do is look at Shuichi.

'_You have caught his attention.'_

That one sentence kept replaying in my mind. I didn't know this Youko, so I didn't know what exactly I was supposed to be feeling. I just stood there in confusion. Shuichi's brows were furrowed. He was perturbed but from what I was unsure. His stare never wavered one bit. This is why I felt like we have been at this conversation for way too long. Our long staring matches were making me uneasy.

"Umm…" I said, peering around myself. "So?" I mumbled.

That one word seemed to bring him out of lala land. He straightened to his full height and had a scowl on his face.

"I forget." He said, his voice held a tone of displeasure, but not directed at me. "You aren't like me. Of course you wouldn't understand."

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm not a demon." I said sarcastically.

He sighed. "Yumi," He began, as if he was talking to a child. "This isn't good."

"And why is that?" I finished, curious.

"The more Youko side of me, he's very capricious. I don't know why he's suddenly like this, and it has me completely puzzled." He ran a hand through his hair. "The Youko I was had never acted this way."

I was suddenly overcome with a need to know how he acted in his past. From how his face looked and how worried he seemed, it looked like it was bad, but I didn't care. I wanted to know.

"Is this Youko side…bad?" my voice had turned fearful. I didn't mean it to be, it just happened. If something that was evil had become interested in me, then I think I should be running from the hills.

He looked up then. His face searched mine and then relaxed.

"Yumi, do not be afraid. As far as I'm concerned I would never hurt you. Youko, as far as I can tell, has had no dangerous thoughts concerning you, quite the opposite. All he wants to do is find out more about you. As I said, I have no bone in my body that wishes to harm you." He stopped as if he just realized this. He seemed surprised at himself that he said such a thing. I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Did he really mean that or did he say that to only gain my trust?

"Then why do you sound so…scared?" I asked. From how he was acting about this, it seemed that the Youko liking me too much for Shuichi's taste was something bad.

"I'm simply unprepared and on guard." So he was confused by his human/demon and his double feelings.

"Oh" I couldn't help it. It was all I could mutter at the moment. I was so overwhelmed at what all was happening. It seemed all of it suddenly caught up to me within one second.

"We better get back to class." He sighed as if he didn't really want to even move.

"Shall we?" He held his hand out for me, like a perfect gentleman. I numbly took it and he led me inside. Luckily there were no teachers so we got away alright. His hand was warm and soothing, something I wouldn't expect from a demon. But from the discussion we had on the rooftop, the demon thing didn't only go as far as physical appearances. I found myself finding comfort in the warmth that he was unconsciously giving me. It didn't surprise me actually. He saved me and had been nothing but nice. I wouldn't go as far and say I liked him in a romantic sense, but I did like him. I guess I was confused as he was.

"Here we are." He said, stopping and letting go of my hand. I hadn't even realized we had made it to my classroom. How did he even know what my 4th period was in the first place? I looked at him suspiciously. He had sweet smile on his face. It was like he was saying 'I know things, so what.' It was kind of creepy.

"Thank you." I muttered quietly. I was still in a confused but accepting state of mind. I turned away from him, noticing he made no indication he was going anywhere. Not even two steps toward the classroom and the bell rang, signaling the end of 4th period.

I stood there, simply looking at Shuichi in surprise.

"You mean to tell me that we took up a whole hour?" I could not afford to miss any classes, especially near the beginning of the school year.

"Relax. It will be taken care of Yumi." He said calmly. He didn't seem at all bothered by anything.

"Well not everyone is a super smart demon thing, you know." His lip twitched, fighting a smile at my choice of words. It seemed I amused him more than anything. I huffed and turned around, nearly running into a student passing by. I apologized, embarrassed, and peeked at Shuichi. He had a full brown smile on his face, but still staring at me. I glared at him in challenge, daring to comment on my embarrassment.

His eyes flashed and a certain expression appeared on his face. My eyes widened in shock. The hairs on my back stood up. Suddenly, this man in front of me was _different _but all the same. For a second there I had thought I had seen the green color disappear from his eyes, only to be replaced with something else. The change was so fast I didn't get enough time to further analyze his eyes because when I blinked, he was back to his own self.

"I'll be seeing you around Yumi." He said stiffly. Something had upset him. He turned around and walked to opposite direct, managing to glide through the masses of students untouched.

I stood there frozen. That one stare had shocked me so much that my body wasn't responding anymore. I breathed heavily, finally noticing that I had held my breath when the stared at me with such passion. I was astonished, anxious, and perplexed.

But for some strange reason, I found that my fascination for Shuichi Minamino had escalated dramatically.


	6. Chapter 6

Not What It Seems Chapter 6.

I am soooo sorry for the long leave. Everything got all hectic again and my focus for writing was put on halt to focus on other things. Writing is what I do in my spare time and that's the main reason why my updates aren't in any kind of schedule. Anyway, Chapter 6 of NWIS.

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I heaved a sigh when my head hit the pillow. I had just got home from school and away from Shuichi, so I was incredibly exhausted. Absorbing all the information was really difficult. My classmate was apparently a demon, and not the 'all hail Satan' kind. He was human, but not human. He was demon, but not demon. This Youko liked me, a lot. Shuichi, however, didn't like me the same as Youko. But….Shuichi said he was both Youko and Shuichi. This boy was confusing. I mean really, he was like a puzzle. When you think you got him all figured out he has to get more complicated. But, fortunately for Shuichi, I liked puzzles.

I turned on my side, huffing in irritation.

I thought about his reactions and how he seemed to think about things thoroughly, even if it was something simple. If I could guess, it was a trait Youko had, and it had unknowingly passed through Shuichi. He also didn't have my memory erased, something that bothered me to no end. My thoughts continued on to almost every possibility and pretty soon I fell into abyss.

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Coming to school was a very difficult thing to do. Not because I was nervous about seeing Shuichi again, but because I didn't get a wink of sleep last night. In fact, I haven't even got even three nights of sleep and it was starting to show. My skin was pale and I was pretty sure there were bags under my eyes. My steps were dragging and my walk was uneven and I was staggering somewhat. People gave me a momentary look as I passed.

"Yumi!" Who could mistake that cheerful accent?

I turned around as Aido came running up. He stopped however when he looked at my face. He probably saw what everyone else was seeing. He gave me a concerned look.

"You look like hell." He said.

My eye twitched in irritation. Another thing I figured out about Aido, is that he was a very blunt person. It was great to hear the truth every now and then, but telling a girl she looked bad was a big mistake. I knew I looked like hell, but I didn't need someone outright telling me.

I turned sharply and began walking away. If I stayed any longer I would tear his head off. I came to 100A and made my way to my desk. I didn't see Shuichi there and I was thankful. I really didn't want to deal with him and Youko early in the morning. I sat my stuff beside my desk and got out my needed supplies for Algebra. We had a test today and I guess I could study for a few minutes. I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that I had at least 30 minutes before class started. Even better. I think I didn't even do even 10 problems before my mind unfortunately wandered back to Shuichi. He was such a mystery. I couldn't even deny the fact that I was interested. I _wanted _to know more about the both of them. Shuichi claimed that Youko wasn't very nice, that much I could tell. But I'm getting the feeling he never gave Youko a chance. I was determined to understand them both. I laid my head on my arms and sighed in exhaustion.

"She didn't even say a word to me this morning. She actually looked like she was going to kill me."

"Hmm."

"She doesn't look so good."

A hand laid itself over my forehead and felt a tingling sensation. The hand moved from my forehead to my cheek and to my other. They were checking for a fever if I had to guess. Their thumb moved to gently caress under my eyes, feeling my bags. The owner of the hand gave a grunt in disapproval.

"She doesn't tend to herself well." Shuichi?

My eyes opened at the sound of his voice. It was an automatic reaction; the hand that was on my face disappeared as I sat up.

"Huh?" I muttered an unintelligible noise.

"Yumi! Glad to see you're finally awake, sleepy head" Aido patted my back.

I looked around, disregarding Aido. The class was empty and void of people. I eyes widened as I jumped up in surprise. I slept through the _whole _class!?

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I screeched in anger. Aido backed away and ran out of the room with his tail between his legs. Coward.

My enraged eyes turned themselves to Shuichi. His eyes held that same unknown emotion again. He was amused and…._excited? _His mouth was quirked into a smirk and he his stance was as calm as ever. He displayed one message. _You don't scare me, human woman. _

"Well," I said, crossing my arms. I could stand up to the scary demon if I wanted to, I was sure.

"You looked so content. I talked to the teacher and he allowed you to sleep; however, only on one condition of course." His voice was smooth and….comforting.

I was afraid of this one condition.

"And what would that be?" I said through gritted teeth.

He shifted his feet and leaned toward me. His eyes held approval, but for what reason, I was unsure.

"We stay after and I tutor you."

Honestly, I was tired and exhausted so I couldn't really do anything other than hunch my shoulders and sigh.

"Ok." I whispered, defeated. "What did we go over?" I said softly as I sat down. "I remember the last lesson, and I probably have a good idea what today's lesson was about. I study almost every night so it shouldn't really be all tha-" his hand grasped my chin and turned my head toward him. He was still standing to my right so the angle at which my head was turned was slightly awkward and uncomfortable. He leaned down toward my head and _sniffed. _

To my dissatisfaction, I blushed in embarrassment.

"Wh-!"

"You smell sickly."

My eyes widened. I took the hand that was holding my chin and jerked it away, or tried to. He didn't even budge. In fact, his grip only tightened. For one second I actually forgot he was a demon and no little human girl could overpower him. I was foolish to forget this aspect.

"You don't take care of yourself well." He sighed. His breath blew past my neck and I shivered at the tingle.

"Umm….could you please let me go." I said meekly.

He stiffened and slowly removed himself away from me. His expression was one of deep concentration, confusion and irritation. "I apologize for my straightforwardness."

I simply stared at him. Somehow I knew why he felt the way he did.

"It was Youko wasn't it? He influenced you again." I whispered in wonderment.

His eyes widened in astonishment. His stance relaxed but I could still see his hand clench into a tight fist. Every so often he would loosen his hand and clench it once again.

"Yes." He said. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Well, he's actively taking charge these days isn't he?" I smiled nervously. I shifted and stood up brushing my skirt.

"Yes." There it was, that voice. This voice wasn't Shuichi. It was someone else who only did what he pleased. Who only did what he wanted and didn't care what others thought. Who was all demon. Who was Youko.

_Youko._

I made a sound of surprise and took a step backwards.

_Shuichi _smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

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His smile unnerved me. It was strange that even though it was the body of Shuichi Minamino, his aura and just his _being _was certainly not Shuichi. It was the Youko standing in front of me and somehow I found myself unable to make any movement. It was like his stare had paralyzed all my thoughts and functions; it was as if the body that had been mine for 16 years was no longer. After that smile of his, I only stood there. The only indication I had given him that he had any effect on me was the sudden squeak I had involuntarily made.

"As I was saying," He calmly continued. "You seem to lack motivation for properly taking care of yourself." He took a step forward, as if he was going to examine me again, but I wouldn't let him. Each step he took forward, I would take backwards. I wasn't sure I wanted him near me at the moment.

He didn't look surprised at my retreat; if fact, it seemed to amuse him even more. The sudden animalistic sound he made in the back of his throat made the hairs on my arm stand. Even though he had the appearance of human, he _most definitely was not. _

"I apologize." He said. His face had no expression on it, but I didn't need to look at his face. He eyes were the most expressive. They showed apathy, but most importantly, there was just a speck of curiosity and anxiety. He was battling emotions it seemed, and he was beside himself. I wonder if anyone had this effect on him in his lifetime.

"I'm….confused." This was all I could muster. The reality of the situation was catching up to me. Before, I was too busy trying to understand his feelings, his mood swings, and trying to get what simply made him be. Fear wasn't at the forefront of my mind then, but unfortunately, it was catching up to me now.

His eyes softened, and he sighed. "I overlook that fact that you are human, having to handle something with such delicacy is foreign to one such as me." His brows furrowed in frustration, and quite suddenly, he was but a hairs length away from me. I gasped in surprise and stiffened. His scarlet hair was tickling my arm and brought on a shudder.

"Why don't you feel it?" He voice held frustration and dissatisfaction.

"Feel…feel what?" I whispered nervously. His hand came up to trace my arm. He wasn't touching me, but it looked like he wanted to, but was afraid of frightening me.

"The connection, so foreign it is, but I cannot find it in myself to care. This is quite interesting." He was muttering to himself, deep in thought.

"I don't feel anything." I apologetically replied. He eyed me, examining my face, trying to find dishonesty. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but as a way to distract myself, I examined our surroundings. The room was desolate, save for us two. He had somehow managed to back me up against the teacher's desk and I was bent slightly backwards at an angle.

'_If this is going to be a habit, I need to stay away from walls. That or not let him stare me down anymore.' _This made me remember the rooftop and I instantly missed Shuichi. I know he said they were the same, but as of right now, I didn't see it.

"I wonder why that is." His hand came up and I instantly stiffened, but all he did was touch my cheek, tracing and rubbing here and there. His hand was soft and warm and somehow I knew he wouldn't have hurt me. I loosened my muscles and relaxed. His eyes widened at my reaction and he brought his other hand up to the other side of my cheek, repeating his previous actions. "Remarkable."

It was as if his voice broke the spell. What the hell was I doing? He was a demon, something not of this world, and here I was submitting to him just because his hands felt nice. I was pathetic. I opened my eyes and shied away from his hands and hunched myself closer to the wall.

"Shuichi," I made sure to stress his name. "I seem to recall you having to tutor me today's lesson I regrettably missed."

He stared at me a few minutes, his hands clenching at his sides. He was looking for something yet again. He chuckled in amusement and put his hands in his pockets. "I like challenges. You can try to resist. It makes no difference to me." He gave me an arrogant smirk.

I blushed at looked away. Some part of me knew he was right, but the rebellious part was raging inside. How dare he insinuate such nonsense; demons and their haughtiness and egotisms.

"Yumi," I looked back at the mention of my name. Shuichi, _Shuichi, _looked uncomfortable, apologetic, and bothered. "Might we continue this another day? I have business that needs my attention." He smiled and turned for the door, not waiting to hear my answer. After he was gone, I was left in the classroom, alone.

I don't recall making my way home. I was in a daze the whole time and it was a surprise I didn't get lost. After I had closed my door and made my way to my room, I tossed myself onto my bed. The encounter with Youko has frazzled my nerves and I was unbearably tired. I snuggled up to my pillows, sighing in contentment. I ignored the growling of my stomach and laid there.

'_You seem to lack motivation in properly taking care of yourself.'_

I opened my eyes in surprise and jumped up from the bed. The whole reason why that incident even happened is because I apparently can't take care of myself.

I decided that I was most definitely hungry.


End file.
